KRISHNA & THE SERPENT KALIYA
Lord Krishna came to know that a very large and poisonous
serpent had made its home in a lagoon on the Yamuna river. Because the serpent
was so poisonous, not only all the fish died, but even the trees and grass
surrounding the lake were dying. When birds flew over the area, they
immediately dropped dead and fell into the lake, due to the highly poisonous vapors
emanating from the water.
In that time, there were many frightful demons, who had all kinds of mystic
powers. Lord Krishna had specifically appeared to rid the world of all
these disturbing elements. The Lord came to this place with His cowherd
boyfriends and decided to confront the king of the snakes. He climbed the large
Kadamba tree and from there, jumped into the poisonous waters of the Yamuna.
Lord Krishna then began splashing about and making very loud
noises just to disturb the Kaliya serpent. Sure enough, the Kaliya snakecame up
to the surface to see who was attacking his home. This huge black serpent
Kaliya (Kaliya means black) possessed over one hundred hoods, each bedecked
with a precious gem. When he breathed, fire emanated from his nostrils. He
suddenly seized Krishna in his powerful coils, and bound the Lord as tightly
as possible. But unfortunately this serpent did not realize that within its
coils was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, playing as a child and enjoying
His earthly pastimes in the transcendental land of Vrindavana. Without warning,Krishna
, the Supreme Mystic, started to expand His body, and Kaliya, who began to feel
the incredible pressure, was forced to release the Lord from his deadly coils. Krishna then
jumped on to the hoods of the great serpent and started to dance, stamping His
foot down on the heads of the snake demon, Kaliya.
This stamping of Krishna, felt to Kaliya serpent like Indra's thunderbolt
striking a mountain. The Lord jumped from one hood to another, and Kaliya felt
helpless and bewildered; in anger he spat fire from his many mouths but the
Lord was so dexterous that His dancing movements caused the-snake to become
dizzy. After so many kicks from the Lord, Kaliya started to first vomit blood,
and then refuse, before becoming almost unconscious. At that time, the many
wives of the Kaliya serpent appeared and begged the Lord with folded hands to
spare their husband. Krishna
decided to banish Kaliya to the great ocean never to return again. Thereafter,
the giant snakealong with his wives, departed forever, and the transcendental
Lord re-joined His cowherd boyfriends on the bank of the Yamuna, to continue
their wonderful pastimes in the land of Vrindavana.